Clay-grinding pan.



No. 772,621. 7 PATENTED OCT. 18, 1904. .t D. F. LEPLEY.

CLAY GRINDING PAN.

APPLIGATION FILE-D SEPT. 4. 1903. 7 no MODEL. 3 sums-sum 1.

WNQQSSQS I WW @j-lllorge ys No. 772,621. PATENTED OCT. 18, 1904.

D. F. LEPLEY. CLAY GRINDING PAN. .APPLI'OATION FILED ssrw. 4.1903.

-NO MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SH ET 3.

UNITED STATES Patented October 18, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

CLAY-GRINDING PAN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 772,621, dated October 18, 1904:.

Application filed September 4, 1903. Serial No. 171,991. (No model.)

silica bricks, such as are now used as substi' tutes for ordinary fire-clay.

The principal object of the-invention is to provide mechanism for grinding or reducing the sandstone to the form of powder andat the same time mixing it with a binding agent,

which may be in the form of ordinary fireclay or similar material.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for removing the finished material from the grinding-pan;and inthis connection a further object is to provide improved means for manipulating the dipper. 7

A still further object of the invention is to provide a dipper actuating mechanism in which provision is made for insuring the fur-. ther removal of all the contents of the dipper at each operation and to provide controlling means whereby the speed of movement may be regulated. Y

With these and other objects in View the invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and

-particularly pointed out in the appended tail perspective view of the dipper proper. Fig. 4'is an elevation of a portion of the dip per-actuating mechanism. Fig. 5 is a longi tudinal sectional elevation of the dipper-actuating mechanism on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a sectional plan view of the same on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates a suitable frame having bearings for the recepform of concentric annular flanges 6, which are secured to and rotate with the pan. In this trough are arranged two grinding-rollers 7, having central spindles 8, mounted in bearings at the ends of freely-movable rockerarms 9and serving by their weight to grind the material as the latter is carried around by the pan.

,In the treatmentof material for the manufacture of silica bricks it isnecessary to reduce thesandstone and at the same time mix the same with a binding agent in order to hold the ground material in the form of bricks.

Owing to the abrasive qualities of the mate rial, the machinery employed will ordinarily last but a short period of time, and difiiculty is also experienced in the removal of the material from the grinding-pan after the reducing and mixing operations have been completed.

' nular trough-5, having tapering walls in the At the present time this material is removed by hand-labor and the operation is slowand expensive.

In carrying out the present invention provision is made for the gradual removal of all of the material without loss of time and without excessive wear on any of the parts of the apparatus. For this purpose there is employed a dipper 10, having'a carrying-arm 11, mounted on a horizontally-disposed shaft 12. The shaft is mounted in suitable bearings at one side of' the grinding-pan and is provided with a pinion 13, with which meshes a vertically-movable rack 14, held in a guide 15, an adjustable wear-plate 16 being held against cylinder.

the rear face of the rack by set-screws 17 and serving to hold the rack in proper position with respect to the pinion. To the rack are secured two plunger-rods 18 and 19, the lower rod carrying a piston 20, arranged within a pressure-cylinder 21, having a suitable controlling-valve 21 for regulating the ad mission of an actuating fluid, which may be in the form of water, air, or other fluid. The valve is connected to the lever 21 in the manner shown by dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 5, the lever being disposed in convenient position for manipulation by a workman, so that the actuating fluid may be directed either through the upper or the lower end of the cylinder. The upper plunger-rod 18 carries the piston 22 disposed within a cylinder 23, that serves as a dash-pot, being filled with oil or other liquid, and the opposite ends of said cylinder being placed in communication with each other by means of pipes 24 and 25. These pipes are provided with controlling-valves 26 for regulating the flow of the fluid between op posite ends of the cylinder and are further provided with check-valves 27, opening, respectively, in opposite directions. The checkvalve on the pipe 24 opens to permit the passage of the fluid from the lower to the upper end of the cylinder, while the check-valve on the pipe 25 permits the passage of fluid in an opposite direction. By this means the fluid is compelled to pass through one or other of the pipes in accordance with the' direction of movement of the piston 22. The valves 26 will control the'speed of movement and may be arranged to offer greater resistance in one direction than in the other, inasmuch as the load varies in the two actuating movements.

During downward movement of the rack 14, which occurs when the dipper is carrying the load from the pan, the fluid in the lower portion of the cylinder 23 flows upward through the pipe 24, the valve 26 having been adjusted in order to prevent the rapid passage of the fluid, so that the cylinder and piston will at this time act as a dash-pot to retard the movement of the dipper, the liquid flowing slowly through the pipe 24 to the upper end of the Vhen the rack is traveling in the opposite direction, the fluid flows from the upper end of the cylinder to the lower end thereof through the pipe 25, and the controlling-valve in such pipe need not be closed to such an extent as the valve of pipe 24, inasgradually be filled by the ground material.

\Vhen tilled, the valve is moved in the reverse direction and shaft 12 is rotated to an extent sufficient to raise the dipper and deposit its contents on the ground or in a suitable receptacle at the side of the pan.

In order to limit the range of movementof the dipper, the end of shaft 12 is provided with a collar 28, in which is secured an arm 29, that alternately comes in contact with stops 30 and 31 in the form of blocks carried by a segment 32 on or forming a part of the main frame. This segment is provided with curved slots 33, through which extend stop- ,block-attaehing bolts 34, in order that the blocks may be adjusted. on the downward movement of the dipper thearm 29 makes contact with the stop 31 in order to prevent contact between the dipper and the upper surface of the pan, as such contact must be prevented in order to avoid injury to both members from the abrasive action of the material being operated upon. in the opposite direction of movement arm 29 comes into contact with stopblocl; 30 and efl'ects a sudden violent stop, so that all of the contents of the pan will be thrown out.

It will be understood that the stop-blocks are intended not only to limit the extent of movement of the dipper, but also to suddenly arrest the movement of the dipper, especially during the dumping operation, so that all of the contents of the dipper will be ejected in a more or less violent manner.

It is obvious that the extent of movement of the dipper may be regulated by the controlling-valve of cylinder 21, so that said dipper may be successively introduced to successively lower levels during the removing operation, and thus to some extent relieve the dipper from the action of the abrasive material.

In lieu of the trough-shaped pan herein illustrated the pan may be in the form of a fiat disk having a single marginal flange in order to prevent the escape of the material being operated upon.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is- 1. The combination with a grinding-pan, of a pivotally-mounted dipper, means for actuating the dipper, and means for suddenly checking the dumping movement thereof to thereby eject the contents of the dipper.

2. The combination with a grinding-pan, of a horizontally-disposed shaft arranged adjacent to the periphery of the pan, a dipper carried by the shaft and movable thereby to a filling position within the pan, and to a dumping position upward and outward beyond the periphery of the pan, and means for stopping the movement of the dipper in a dowmvard direction and prevent frictional contact of said dipper with the upper surface of the pan.

3. The combination with a grinding-pan, of a pivotally-mountcd dipper, mechanism for moving the dipper into and out of the pan, and a retarding means tending to resist movement of the dipper and said mechanism.

4. The combination with agrinding-pan, of a pivotally-mounted dipper, mechanism for moving the dipperinto and out of the pan, a retarding means serving to resist movement of the dipper in both directions, and means for adjusting the degreeof such resistance in proportion to the load. I

5. The combination with a grinding-pan, of a shaft, a dipper carried thereby, a pinion on the shaft, a rack intermeshing with the pinion, and means for operating said rack.

6. The combination with a grinding-pan, of a shaft, a dipper-carried by the shaft, means for operatingthe shaft, an arm secured to and movable with said shaft, and a stop-block disposed in the path of movement of the arm and adapted to suddenly check the movement of the dipper.

7 The combination with a grinding-pan, of.

a shaft, a dipper carried by the shaft, a pinion on said shaft, a rack intermeshing with the pinion, a pair of plunger-rods secured to the rack, pistons carried by the plunger-rods,

8. The combination with a grinding-pan, of 1 stop-blocks.

a shaft, a dipper carried. by the shaft, a pin ion on the shaft, a rack intermeshing with the pinion, a pair of plunger-rods secured to the rack,pistons carried by the plunger-rods,

an actuating-cylinder receiving one of the pistons, a dash-pot cylinder receiving the second piston, and valved by-passes connecting the opposite ends of the dash-pot cylinder and provided with check-valves opening respectively in opposite directions. v

9. The combination with a grinding-pan, of a shaft, a dipper secured to the shaft, a pinion carried by the shaft, a movable rack intermeshing with said pinion, an adjustable guide for the rack, a slotted segment disposed adjacent to the shaft, a pair; of stop-blocks carried by said segment, and a stop-lever carriedbyithe shaft and adapted to engage said 10. A mill, forgrinding clay, &c., having in combination therewith, a shaft, an 'arm secured to said shaft, a scoop carried by said arm, means for rotating the shaft to invert the scoop and shift it from receiving to dis charging position, and a stop for arresting the movement of the scoop.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

' DANIEL F. LEPLEY.

Witnesses: a v

WILLIAM H. SOISSON, JAs. B. RUTH; 

